Antigen testing is not as accurate as nucleic acid testing! What is the significance of our self-testing

What is the difference between nucleic acid testing and antigen testing?

In fact, antigen testing is not a new concept and has been widely practiced in Europe and the United States. Nucleic acid test is to search for the DNA associated with neococcal pneumonia by continuously amplifying the genetic material in the collected samples, which is equivalent to a billion-fold amplification. With an accuracy rate close to 100%, it is currently the gold standard for diagnosis. However,Rapid antigen nasal swab its drawbacks are the complexity of the process, which requires skilled technicians and special equipment, and the amplification process takes an hour or more.

Compared to the development of the antigen for testing is much faster, it is possible to look for viral antigens in a sample through its own antibodies, the user management of their own business can realize the operation. The user treats the data sample with a liquid containing salt and soap that breaks down the cells and other particles, and then this liquid is applied to the test paper, which has a thin line of specific antibodies, which will lead to the appearance of such a colored line on the test paper if there is a new coronavirus in the sample of the company. Its advantages are that it is fast and cheap, does not require our expertise to train staff, and the test takes less than 15 minutes.

Despite its simplicity and convenience, it is more suitable for the diagnosis of symptomatic patients than for the general population not at risk of asymptomatic infections. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the accuracy of the 2019 coronavirus disease test is about 80% of that of the symptomatic population , while for asymptomatic infections, the accuracy of the nucleic acid amplification test test drops to 50%

What are the similarities and differences between nucleic acid testing and antigen testing?

Antigen tests are less sensitive and can be used for immediate detection of symptomatic individuals to quickly identify those at risk for transmission of the virus. It is most effective 5-7 days after the onset of symptoms and in the early stages of infection. In addition, urgency can be alleviated for regional nucleic acid testing resources.

Nucleic acid testing technology can be used to accurately identify systematically infected or uninfected individuals, and can locate an infectious individual. In communities where transmission is low and mitigation measures can be effective, the impact of test data results from nucleic acid testing is more secure and reliable; for symptomatic or close contacts, a negative antigenic test can only be the result of a primary development that requires confirmation by nucleic acid testing.

What is the importance of antigen for testing results less accurate than nucleic acid testing?

Nucleic acid is costly, and doing it requires a lot of raw materials and time costs for labor. Simple, rapid antigen testing is a better option for eliminating risk.

With antigen testing, testing of the population can be reduced to a certain extent, and the pressure on the staff can also be reduced.

The significance of antigen testing is not only in terms of accuracy, but also in terms of public health significance that helps the community to return to normalcy. Large events such as performances, exhibitions and sporting events, as well as places such as schools, can be crowded and there is a need to ensure that everyone is not infected. Rapid results from antigen testing can be fully useful when conducting mass screening.

Antigen testing can also improve testing efficiency and speed up the opening of areas. Nucleic acid and antigen tests are performed simultaneously. If the antigen test is negative for 15 minutes, you can go home and wait for the nucleic acid results instead of everyone being held in a closed area.

In addition, for developed countries in Europe and the United States, where infection rates are high and there is an urgent need for safety systems to restore China's socio-economic functioning, assessing when recovered people will return to analytical positions is just what is needed. Nucleic acid detection technology compared to antigen detection methods have us certain shortcomings, nucleic acid to check the virus fragments, while the antigen is a complete virus. Nucleic acid test work is often too sensitive, the human body fully recovered may at the same time still exhale a small amount of viral fragments, not infectious but nucleic acid study results are still mainly positive, this activity time is likely to be up to 3-4 weeks. Antigen testing may have some more reference enterprise value than nucleic acid testing in assessing risk management of infectiousness in recovered persons.

As we continue to introduce new vaccines and antivirals, viruses are mutating and becoming more contagious and less detectable. The introduction of antigenic reagents has helped to improve the home isolation process by providing residents with an affordable and widely available method of home testing.

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